Nuclear Survival Skills: Building a Bomb Shelter...

I would love to tell you I am expert on Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare... but I am not. What I am is a grunt (infantry man) who got do some training with the NBC guys or as we also called them "No Body Cares" well at least your skin is burning or melting off or you are dying of radiation poisoning. So here is what I learned hanging with the NBC crew...

1. Radiation from a power plant is more dangerous then a bomb, why because the material in a power plant is intended to last for a longer time and so yes can poison an area for hundreds of years with radiation.
2. Radiation from a Nuclear Bomb is faster deteriorating due to the sudden release of energy as compared to the slow degradation of say a Nuclear Power Plant's control Rod. This means that you can wait out a disaster from a nuclear weapon but not from a nuclear power plant.
3. You need iodine. Iodine is used to treat cuts and such but liquid iodine can be taken by a 2 table spoon dose with a liter or quart of clean water. Iodine Water Filtration Tablets can be used with a 1-quart of water in a standard GI issued canteen. And of course their is Iodine Solution you can buy online for radiation poisoning. The latter is your best bet.

A gas mask is also good to have...

Now I will explain the construction of the bomb shelter.

What you will need is cinder blocks, mortar, concrete, 4x4 Wooden posts, ply wood sheets and 5 Steel external doors without peep holes.

So you need to start, the basic out outline needs to laid with cinder block producing the initial "box" that will acts as a foundation. I suggest building this on your basement , barn or with some other similar structure but if you are building it outside, you need to dig a hole about 6 to 7 feet deep. Then lay your blocks & Position your doors.

You need a twelve foot by eight food living area. This can accommodate four people quite well. Ideally you might only need to be here for two weeks to a month. So keep in mind the space is going to be limited and well you need to maximize the room you have. This means bunk beds, storing supplies under beds or stacked into boxes.

So you need for 4 adults (assuming teenage children as adults) 4 gallons of water for 2 weeks (14 days) equals 56 gallons of water. Add some board games, playing cards etc. You will also need gas masks, hazmat suits and other items. Once you have about four feet of wall built you need to add 1 and 1/2 inch pipe as an air vent, this vent needs to be built with an "S" curve as shown and allows for a flow catch to catch heavier partials of debris in the air open end on the outside should face down, this prevents falling partials of debris from entering the air flow pipe as well. The hole cut into the wall is patched with mortar and concrete poured into the cinder blocks to strengthen the walls.

This provides some protection. After the walls have reached the desired height a roof can be fashion with the plywood sheets about 1/2 to 1 inch thing. Concrete is then mixed and spread over the plywood in layers of 2 to three inches at a time. They may need to be reinforced with 4x4 support columns to bear the weight until the concrete dries & you need 24 to 28 inches of concrete over head to provide protection.

A Faraday cage should be used to protect any electronics key electronics should include but not be limited to an emergency radio, a handheld CB radio, any night vision devices and any power inverters and charge controllers for solar kits. Needless to say food should be rationed, as well as water. Major targets for a nuclear war will be are military bases, especially naval bases where nuclear submarines are based carrying Inter Centennial Ballistic  Missiles (ICBMs), large industrial centers, large population centers and any major airports. So you want to be away from them as best you can.

Once the bombs go off, hopefully you have gotten some warning and can get you and your loved one's into the Bomb Shelter, DO NOT got out of the Shelter in the first 48 hours. Remember the 7/10 rule radioactive fall out breaks down at a rate of ten every factor of seven increase in time. Meaning that after seven minutes a unit of radiation breaks down to 1/10th, after seven hours breaks down to 1/100th, after seven days breaks down to 1/1000th and so on exponentially.

So 2 weeks is a safe minimum; so you need to stock up on food and can get instructions on how to build your own Hazmat Suit from Poorman's Guide to Prepping & you can find free resources on Nuclear Protection here. Building such a shelter in one's basement or an old cave or mine, only adds Nuclear defense protection & adds concealment of prepper OPSEC.

Now allow me to explain the need for so many doors. The doors provide for an airlock system to reduce contamination to the shelter chamber. Leaving the shelter one would move to the first airlock, which doubles as washroom. Once here one enters the suit room, closing the airlock door and puts their hazmat suit (whether commercial or home made) as specified by its proper design. One exits the suit room, entering the scrub room and then the outer airlock, closing each door behind one's self. One then scavenges for supplies and does whatever one wishes to do outside...

Upon returning one uses warm soapy water and washes off beginning with one's hands up to the elbows, then one's head and down to the feet. Once one does this preliminary washing down, one enters the Airlock and locks the door behind one's self. If there is a lot of debris being blown around one can avoid this step until inside the Airlock. One moves to the scrub room using a new clean bucket of warm soapy water to wash off again as before using a scrub brush this time. Once in the suit room, one exits the Hazmat suit and enters the internal airlock. Here one washes off their skin and hair directly and consumes potassium iodine to prevent any radiation sickness.

I must stress this, one should not exit the Bomb Shelter before the first 48 to 72 hours and remain their a possibility of 14 to 30 days. So with all this talking of nuclear war from Russia and China, now is the time for people to start thinking of dealing with that threat and perhaps even pulling our resources to get things done.

American Homeguard & Paramilitary Survivalism

Ok now I wrote the Anti-Terrorist Handbook, available here at Shadow Warrior Publishing. You've no doubt noticed my Interview with High Ranking Member of the Militia Movement and the recommendation to work with the militia to learn basic military skills and get "tactical" Paramilitary Training for low cost, no cost other then supplying your own gear which you have to do at most tactical schools anyway...




Now since the American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook has the name of TM 725-15 some idiots have taken to claiming I intended to pass it off as a real military manual. This is just Bull Shit... yes, I blatantly called it Bull Shit, not BS. Here is why, who has heard of the American Homeguard branch of the military. They aren't at the VA, they aren't in any Veterans Parades. The fact is, there is no American Homeguard... The name Homeguard comes from the old British World War II Civil Defense Pamphlets which advised British citizens form Homeguard units... So, the British term Homeguard was basically just a term for Militia. There is a pretty interesting story behind this... If you are Interested. Now the Militia, as a separate defensive force to protect the nation made up of civilian volunteers. Was put forward in the book How to Reform the Army by Tom Wintringham in 1939. This name was chosen by Ashida Kim, Dojo Press was my publisher at the time, since my idea for a title was simply The Anti-Terrorist Handbook and Ashida saw it as something written to target the Militia & Survivalist Community (which is was). The American Homeguard is whatever one wants it to be and they don't exactly have to call themselves that, use the term militia and form a militia. However, the book is written to provide basic skills, camouflage, hand-to-hand combatives, firearms training, individual and small teams tactics, herbal medicine, survival and first aid training.




If you are a "lone wolf" it covers basic concepts of how to move and work as a team. If you are a team, it covers how the manage one's group, organize it under a system paramilitary command structure. So if you find an Individual or a Smaller Group you bring something in the way of basic skills and a simple formation of team work. But, now comes the ten million dollar question... Why?


The Answer... Because I believe in Paramilitary Survivalism... Yes, I think a "Prepper" should be a Survivalist and focus on military or paramilitary skills and training and yes, I think that should include martial arts training. The old school Survivalist mentality of being paramilitary, guys who had weapons and gear stashed away for then the Soviets invaded in some Red Dawn scenario. Why? Because if you can handle Red Dawn you can handle Deliverance. Don't know about Wrong Turn though, be safer to just stay out of West Virginia. Or watch Appalachian Outlaws, yes we do have idiots who idiots who would make a bomb and throw it in someone's house or run around and play Doc Holiday with an AR15. So lets cover the basic kit for the Paramilitary Survivalist.



First off, lets start with the Trench Coat... Gotta have a trench coat cause its tacti-cool, right? No... But a trench is cool, you can use it as shelter, lean-tos and such. Ninja Video that shows something similar used with Kimonos. So any long coat that comes to about your knees is a good thing. An btw this is why Mountain Men were the long bear skin coats and cowboys wore Dusters.

Concept about 8 minutes into the video, but has some cool field craft information for you guys...


Secondly it covers your kit, your gear. Wear as much of your kit as possible, this kits your hands free and why I suggest LBEs, LBVs and tactical vests for preppers and survivalists.

Now this is an example of a basic LBE, its a pistol belt is supported by the suspenders and carries everything. Two, triple 30-Round Magazine Pouches. Two 1-Quart Canteens, one canteen cup, that you also use for cooking and boiling water in a canteen pouch that has room for a small bottle of Iodine Water Purification Tablets. And a Butt Pack, which should contain 3 extra 30-Round Magazines, A Poncho, Poncho Liner, fire kit, First Aid gear and some food rations. I'd add tying and taping an "L" shaped flashlight with red lens to the suspender, a compass and big ass knife to the pistol belt. A drop holster if you have the handgun. Remember this LBE is going to be under your trench coat.

Or you can do the Capain Blackeagle BLE build... This build means one is carrying 2 canteens, the butt pack and a total of 360 rounds in 12 Magazines (390 if you include the 30 rounds in your rifle magazine).



And you will need a rifle, I suggest an AR15 style rifle. Owning the rifle isn't enough, you also need training and practice. You get your training in one of three ways... Or use all three in conjunction.
1. You can Enlist...
2. You can Take a Class...
3. You can Train with the Militia or Similar group of people...
4. Buy books and Videos and try to do it yourself...

Now get this... you need to first have a weapon zeroed at 300 meters (yards will work but the Military thinks in meters, so will a foreign invader). This is all the "Bells & Whistles" you need. You need to zero the weapon and train to use the weapon, training is so much better then technology... Hense the image above of a stock AR15 style rifle without a "carrying handle" or sling... Believe me, all the lights and lasers are useless without training. The same point and fire drill you are depending on a laser sight to help you with, I learned to do without a laser sight. Meaning the laser would only enhance a skill I developed in the US Army as an Infantry Soldier through practice... In the hands of a civilian without my training, they are using a tool without the skill to properly apply it...

Lets put this in another way, what do you know about Jet Engines? I personally don't know a single thing, but I've worked on cars. I know how a ratchet works and know how to tighten and loosen bolts with it. Now do you trust me to bolt a part onto a jet engine, an engine you are going to be a passenger on?


Right... I wouldn't trust me to do it either. Because while my limited knowledge may be enough, it is not enough. Here is the big thing that people don't get, you have to have intelligence to be a grunt. You are not a monkey blindly following orders and carrying out drills, yes you get trained for that box in Basic Training and then you get told to be creative and think outside the box. The hell with it, throw away that box... Why do you need a laser on your rifle if you don't have the skill to put that red dot on target within the half-a-second you have to shoot the enemy before they shoot you? The answer is that laser is worthless... Add to that you need the experience to know where your laser is zeroed and where the round with strike below or above that zero. Why because if you don't know a round will strike 2 inches high (just an example number here it will be different between each shooter and platform) at 25 to 50 meters on a laser sight zeroed at 100 meters, if you don't have the experience to show you this and to compensate you might make some completely  ~newbie~ mistake like assuming that the red dot on the bad guys head is were the round will strike and miss your shot.


So before you put 8 poumds of tacti-cool toys on a 7 pound rifle, invest a few hundred dollars in bullets and training...

You can enlist, the military will pay you, train you and might even give you some experience that will enhance that training.


You can take a Class, I am seriously worried here and here is why... Tactical Instructors are usually former military or former police. I would not trust the police tactical training. Sorry but, yeah. Tactical Schools are like Martial Arts or Self-Defense Schools. They all sit around trying to develop a new drill, a new and better technique to use and so on. Sadly... There is only so many new methods you can invent and only so many of the Basics that really matter. Things that aren't tacti-cool like Penny Drills, "Tactical Reloads" (Loading a weapon after use, before the magazine is expended, so that you have a full magazine if you have to shoot again) and Reflex Firing (also called Point Shooting). Many times I've debated with friends, Johnny Hunter, about the need for things like a flashlight, laser and so. When simple drills and practice does so much better in building skills that don't run out of batteries or what have you. The problem is many tactical schools ran by former Law Enforcement make their money by making training fun and don't focus on the basics. Many former Military ran schools will make you pony up the extra cash to take a basic class just for their school to make sure you are on the same page as everyone else... Keep in mind also many times these schools will market themselves mainly to police and military and assume the student has that as a base for their training.


Buyer beware you are paying for the knowledge, experience and sometimes to insight and creativity of a person to be your instructor. Know who you are dealing with and ask questions and get solid answers... Sometimes schools are good and sometimes not, you need to figure out if the school is right for you. I've seen LEO based schools that had great urban warfare training but laughable woodland range training. It wasn't a bad school, just a school owner who lacked experience in an area due to how he was trained and were he lived. I don't expect a Arizona swim class to teach surfing...


Training with a Militia or Similar Group... This is something I touched on with my Interview with Coronel Hunt. There are militias who are militia only in the name. They are a Civilian Paramilitary force. They are not part of the Philosophy of the Militia Movement which is a return to constitutionality from our government. You have groups with Racist Motivations and you have those with political motivations and so on so forth... So you don't want to drawn up into a cult or some terrorist group or some FBI sting operation. These groups will not connect you to like minded individuals and get you basic combat training with a rifle, but camouflage, first-aid, radio communications and more.


Do it Yourself, buying books and videos... I don't really know what to tell you. I'm not sure I have to tell their are frauds and people who are generally good guys putting out information that's limited or making up the rest as they go along to sell you on their classes and such. So you can buy books and videos and try to train on your own.


Now to Ask and Answer the Bigger Question of why you need this set up and mindset of Prepping... I am not a prepper I am a survivalist, the survivalist movement I grew up in during the 90s was made up of Christians... Yes, Christians who didn't believe in the Rapture. They believed they would be forced to choose between taking the Mark of Beast, dying or fighting to defend their family and friends and still dying. So these Christians become known as Survivalists and many were veterans. The ideas of the Survivalists became popular among more liberal minded people and the term Prepper became the PC term and preppers became less Paramilitary. The Big Question is why is this style/type of Survival or Prepping Philosophy as good thing and why should one practice it?


The answer is simple, because when the time comes to defend yourself, you don't rise to occuasion you fall back on training... Look Terrorists are training to engage you with their bare hands, knives, handguns and rifles. Baltimore & Chicago has proven the police are tools of the politicians (sorry guys but its the truth) and respond at the whims of those in power. Sure we've seen cops in New York prove their power by refusing to be the Jack Booted Thugs of the Political Machine but, while those charged with serving and protecting are playing political power games and/or being used a pawns in that game where does this leave you and your family?


I am afraid the time to sit back and let others fight for you, defend you and protect you has ended. The time to "beat your plow shields in swords" is nearly here. If nothing else having the ability to defend yourself means the ability to defend those around you. I'm not saying go fight a war, I am saying be as prepared as you can do fight a war. Avoid danger if possible but you have to fight, win. Paramilitary training is being given to police because of the threat of gangs and such..? In a world without the support of the police could survive with Paramilitary Training of your own..?


The beauty of the trench coat and you can do basic tan as well, is that you can hide your kit and weapon under the coat. You can present a low profile and still be able to bring the pain if need be against a threat.

What is a Bug-Out Bag, EDC, a Survival Kit & a Never-Coming-Back Bag

I was asked to build a Bug-Out Bag for a friend of mine, a 110lbs (give or take about 10lbs) female who is 5'2" and of slim build. I posted the results below in the images and got some interesting responses from people on a Prepper Forum. Now we can't predict how an event will happen, this is West Virginia so geographic terrain tends to be hills and mountains, with shar contrasts from urban to suburban to rural and wilderness within a matter a miles, so times less then a mile.

One of the things I noticed was that a lot of online preppers don't have a clue, about gear or thinking... Now this is a semantic argument but its an important one.

What is a Bug Out Bag? How is it different then EDC (Every Day Carry) and a Survival Kit? How are those different then a NCB (Never Coming Back or Never Coming Home) Kit? If you don't know there is a difference you aren't a prepper, you are fad hobbiest. If you don't know what the difference is, you are about to find out.

Now I grew up in and around the Survivalist movement & Militia movement of the 90s, I am 36 years old (in June) and by rough estimates that gives me 24 years of experience. I learned real fast as a teenagers what these things were and why they exist...

Lets start with the terms...
Bug Out Bag: A bug-out bag is also called a 72 hour bag. It is an evacuation kit, meaning you are coming back home or are leaving an area and getting home. Since a bug-out bag is only intended to last 72 hours, you are not trying to go for long-term survival. You just need to make it for 3 days, going from point-A to point-B.

Minimum Gear:
1. Water: We all here the 1-Gallon per person per day equation. The reality is that is not realistic. Try humping 3 Gallons of Water just 10 miles. You don't need a gallon of water a day, that is not realistic in a survival situation. There are countless articles on the health benefits of drinking so much water a day... But the "experts" say 7 glasses on average. But what is average? Average male of 5'6" and 150lbs? A gallon a day of water is just a healthy living standard... What it is not is a must live standard... The baseline figure for water intact needed a day is 32oz for a male of roughly 150lbs. check the links below. 32 ounces for 3 days 32 x 3 = 96 ounces of water or 0.75 (3/4) of a Gallon.
http://www.watercures.org/survival-hydration.html
http://health.allwomenstalk.com/benefits-of-drinking-one-gallon-of-water-per-day
http://www.foodbeast.com/news/gallon-of-water-a-day/ 

2. Food (Nothing That Needs Cooking Preferred): Ok if you are going Point-A to Point-B, you are gonna burn calories and need food. Actually, you are gonna need something other then calories you are going to need nutrition. Whats the difference, one is units of energy used by the body (calories) and the other is vitamin, minerals, proteins and amino acids that keep your body running. Look your car may run on gas, but it still needs anti-freeze, coolants, oil, lubricated joints and a battery to work. You need more then just calories to function... I love the Mainstay Rations for this reason... However, trail mix, dried fruits, jerky and multi-vitamins are also great.

3. Light: I am not a fan of the we must have light scenario... 1. Not you don't... and 2. Why? Realistically speaking a water purification system, purification tablets or Life Straw is great, but you are better off carrying it on you then trying to survival off the land. Why do you need a flashlight? The idea of a bug out bag is to pace yourself, not break your leg trying to run ahead of the "gold horde" by night. And if you are worried about Mutant Biker Zombies getting you, just remember noise and light discipline means not being heard or seen. How easy is it to spot a light in a dark... anything? But if you must a zipper light, or key chain light is fine.

4. Heat: This is a must, staying warm is serious. So yeah have a lighter or 3 and some storm proof matches. Now some people confuse heat with shelter, shelter blocks the elements. So while I agree you can stay dry with a poncho, it won't keep you warm. You can save room and weight with a space blanket, just drap it over your head and the plastic and Mylar will keep you dry plus reflect body heat back at you...

5. Shelter: The best part about those space blankets is that you can use them to build a lean-to. All that carrying a tent is not practical. You are not going camping.

6. First Aid: I'm not going to give a first aid kit much thought, 1. there isn't much you can do with it without the proper training. 2. If it is serious a broken leg, arm or a fever or serious illness nothing you get over the counter is help and even if you had something for serious pain relief, opiates for example... it will diminish your mental capacity. So being realistic, suck it up cup cake.

7. Maps, Compass and Navigation: Again I find myself in a bit of a WTF? train of thought here. Do you not know where you live? Where your friends and family live? Maps are great and if you are travelling long distance to Aunt Edina in another state that's all good but, why do you need maps and a compass in a bug out bag?

Seriously, I want you to consider something here... Let's play stawman for a second here, let's pretend work is 50 miles from home, you make the commute everyday and now the "shit has hit the fan." But what's the scenario aliens, nuclear war, terrorists or rioting in the street?

We will say rioting, looting and general mayhem. Boss tells you all to go home, your route is blocked by rioters clashing with police. So you go around and you have your handy dandy map... What your map won't tell you is other places riots have broken out, which neighborhoods have put themselves in community lock down (happened in both the LA Riots and During both Hurricane Sandy and Katrina. In the army we had what we called Map recon, which was looking at a map to find areas to cross rivers or get a general fix on terrain. We also had a leaders recon where the platoon sergeant and/or squad leaders went and checked out the area we looked at on the map. Why? Because shit happens... You don't need a compass to drive home, and if you have to bug out you won't need a compass to walk home either.

8. Knives: This I endorse whole heartedly. You need a knife, it's a basic tool and can be used to defend yourself. Multitool knives are good two, hollow handle survival knives are well known to break, full tang knives are your best bet, half tang survival knives are ok...  But a hatchet or camp tomahawk can do basically everything a knife can and a few things like chop wood or can't.

9. Saws: I don't get the need for chopping wood when living out a backpack for 72 hours. Don't much see the need in carrying saws either. Of you need to build a fire, you are not building a bonfire.

10. Guns: Yes... I think a concealed handgun is a good idea. No, you don't need to roll out like Barry Fife meets Rambo. If you need to defend yourself, and this is true in a normal day. You need to be calm and discrete about it. A cheap .38 will do the job you need it to, which is protect you from an attacker. I'd also suggest martial arts or self-defense classes to boost your odds as well.

In closing the more gear you carry the more energy you burn, carrying that stuff with you. You don't want to hike out with 35lbs of gear and only use 5lbs of it. That gets us to the more common sense preppers and the classic survivalist mindset of EDC. Generally, most civilians go to civilian sources of information, like FEMA or 10 Essentials used for hiking. The reality is if you have a bug out bag and need to use it, you are not hiking in the woods on a Boy or Girl Scout Jamboree but are moving to a safe place, either home or a friend or family members. Even if a map tell you a route you have no way to know if the route is passable, safe or needs to be avoided. So you need to think in terms of Point-A to Point-B only for your bug-out bag. Its not hiking and while some elements are similar, remember you are just trying to get home safely...

Every Day Carry: EDC or Every Day Carry is a simple, light weight kit that a person wears on them, everyday. My own EDC is a simple kit, one 20oz Water Bottle, 3 Sweet and Salty Granola bars or a couple packs of peanuts, water purification tablets, 2 Lighters, space blanket, pack of cigarettes, pocket knife (varies in style), 2 gallon zip lock freezer bags, Paracord bracelet and it's all in a jacket or sometimes my trench coat.

If I have to walk home. I can make it, carrying the lightest possible load. I honestly don't need to eat and can afford to burn a few calories. Water is my primary concern, which I have the ability to purify a gallon in a freezer bag with a tablet per and as recorded above, I only need a minimum of 1 gallon for 3 days. A 20oz bottle is enough to get me started, plus the freezer bags can be used to get clean water from green leaf plants.

I have a friend who's EDC consists of a tactical folder, handgun, flashlight, lighter and fero rod, water purification tablets, gallon freezer bag and a life straw. Like myself, if he has to bug out, he is moving light and fast.

Compared either of us, humping our kits that weigh less then 10lbs and someone with a 20 or even 50lbs pack. Also we don't look like people with things worth taking if social order breaks down. I promise you, will need to think fast and have a plan. A BOB or EDC kit without a plan is just gear...

Survival Kit: Survival kits are small gear kits that are intended to be used to boost your odds of survival. These vary between airplane and life raft emergency survival kits, which can be adapted to suit your car. At the basic level you need some shelter, food, water, something for heat and a means to acquire more food, fishing kits and snare wire is often used. A Bug-Out bag is an example of one type of survival kit, so is a EDC kit.

Never Coming Back Kit: Now I have one of these, its also called an INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) bag. Remember when I talked about pioneers and such? Ok... It is a basic set of supplies, gear and tools that will allow you to build your own civilization in the middle of no where. If you look at the California Gold Rush, the Alaskan Gold Rush, the Settlement of the Old West and even the Western expansion from the East Coast colonies, pioneers, trappers and woodsmen carried a lot of supplies by cart, wagon and mule, as well as on their backs.

A Bug Out bag won't be useful to you as a means to evacuate your home, and lets say you do?
Do you have a plan? At the end of the Day all you need for a Bug-Out-Bag is water (a 1 Liter bottle filled with tap water will do), food (such as Emergency Ration Bars, MREs, DIY MREs, jerky, trail mix, peanuts, granola bars or cliff bars) that you can eat cold and don't have to cook, a mylar space blanket or 2 for shelter, some rope or twine for cordage (doesn't have to be paracord and a lot of paracord doesn't meet military specifications) and a means start a fire, matches, lighter etc. Congrats you can Bug-Out... but if you don't have a plan, you just have gear.

Everything should have a use and every use should be part of your plan. Don't pack an inflatable raft if you are not crossing water, don't pack a saw if you live in a desert with no trees. Don't worry about maps and compass if you can read a map and know how to use a compass. Many times, you can just get by with stuff you can carry on you.

Lets look at my EDC, in depth...

1. 20oz Water Bottle: I know there are steel water bottles, but I have cases of bottled water at home. So I generally, bring one of those with me. Nothing special and usually a non-name brand much cheaper.
2. 3 Sweet and Salty Granola bars or a couple packs of peanuts: Nothing major and basically only providing me with only about 170 calories per bar, 510 calories total. But, like I said food isn't a priority for me for 72 hours. It is motivation.
3. Water purification tablets: I don't even carry the whole bottle, just a small resealable baggy with 5 purification tabs and 5 tablets that clear up the task.
4. 2x Lighters: Fire is more important then food, I plan in accordance to what can kill me first... 1. Security against People with ill intentions, 2. Injury 3. Weather exposure, 4 Thirst/Dehydration can kill me in 3 days. 5. Hunger can kill me in 2 weeks. For a 72 hour plan (I plan 3 to 5 days), I'm not going to starve to death.
5. Space blanket: Ok, I don't carry a space blanket. I carry two but you get the idea... The space blanket doubles as shelter from rain, can be used as a poncho, can be used to make a temporary shelter, and I can use it to signal for help.
6. Pack of Cigarettes: Yes, I smoke, well I quit smoking which means I smoke about 3 to 10 cigarettes a day a day. The fact is I can light a cigarette, "hot box it" and use the "cherry" to build a fire from the ember as opposed to wasting fuel from my lighter.
7. Pocket knife (varies in style): Ok, I said I vary the style of the knife I carry... Sometimes I carry a multi-tool, sometimes a good fixed blade hunting knife and sometimes a tactical folder. Why the difference in knives? Knives are tools and they have a specific job. So if I need or feel the need for a certain type of knife I carry it and sometimes... I even carry two.
8. 2 x 1 gallon zip lock freezer bags: Now I know you can spend $10 on a collapsible canteen. These came in a pack of 10 and holds all the water I need for the 3 days minimum to survive on.

9. Paracord bracelet: Ok, this is only "survival gear" I pack. Its a simple paracord bracelet with a compass I don't need, a whistle I probably won't use and ferro-rod for back-up to my lighter. It is cordage for building a survival shelter with my space blanket. My water bottle goes into a pocket, my space blankets, freezer bags, lighters, purification tablets and granola bars go in another pocket of my jacket, coat or hoodie. My knife & cigarettes  is in a pants pocket & I wear the paracord bracelet.

All I need to do... is start walking home. I have a plan & everything I carry has a use. I've hiked with my INCH bag and know I can make 10 miles in about 2 and half hours. Not even pushing myself thats roughly 15 minutes a mile walking (actually far less). With my EDC I can jog a mile or so at (let's say) 8 minutes a mile, how fast are you jogging with a 30lbs BOB. Assuming I have to walk and not driving some of that distance. Even then my 15 minutes a mile compared to your 15 minutes a mile, with less weight means I move with less energy.

The semantics of the argument are simple, know the difference in gear sets to fit your goals. If I am home I rarely travel outside of 50 miles and if I do I have an emergency for my car. If I'm within my 50 mile home range, I can risk the walk and I may only need to get to a friends house a lot closer then my own home.